Network Rail has planted 35 trees at an unsightly graffiti hotspot in London in a bid to deter taggers from vandalising the railway and saving thousands of pounds in cleaning costs.
It is the first time Network Rail has trialled using trees to prevent graffiti and vandalism which has become an eyesore for our passengers and railway neighbours.
The tree planting at the Bermondsey Dive Under – a junction where one set of rail lines tunnel under another – aims to stop graffiti at this south east London hotspot, which has cost taxpayers £150,000 in cleaning costs in the past two years, at the same time as creating new habitat for wildlife living around the railway.
Jon Ruch, Network Rail’s head of security, route crime, and resilience for the Southern region, said: “Our teams have been working incredibly hard over the past year or so to remove more graffiti, as we want to make the railway a more inviting place for our passengers.
“We spend around £750,000 per year on targeting graffiti hotspots and have cleared almost 700 sites since the start of the year right across the Southern region. Using trees to provide a screen that blocks taggers from repainting is a new approach, which is also fantastic news for the environment.
On Friday 1 July, Network Rail chairman, Sir Peter Hendy helped plant the last tree in Bermondsey with colleagues from across the railway in the Southern region.
“It was really good to be out with the Southern team planting trees,” Sir Peter commented. The security and sustainability teams have worked together with Keltbray to deliver a tree screening solution to deter future graffiti on our infrastructure. This was great to see, thanks to all involved.”
This latest tree planting follows the launch of a £1 million scheme by Network Rail Southern region in April to set up local planting schemes in Kent, Sussex, south London, Surrey and Hampshire over the next three years, working with national conservation charity The Tree Council. The first year target of 10,000 trees and shrubs by the end of March 2022 has been more than doubled and thousands more will follow by 2024.
Image credit: Network Rail
